Resource Sharing and Networking among Allama Iqbal Open University AIOU Libraries: A Proposed Model - Basharat Hafeez Assistant Librarian, AIOU ...

Resource Sharing and Networking among
Allama Iqbal Open University [AIOU]
Libraries: A Proposed Model

 Basharat Hafeez
 Assistant Librarian, AIOU

 Muhammad Jawwad
 Lecturer, Dept. LIS-AIOU

Introduction

• Allama Iqbal Open University was established in 1974 as a
  first open university in Asia and second university of the
  world.

• It provides education through open and distance learning mode
  which is specifically targeted at working adults.

• This philosophy of AIOU underlies the belief that education
  should be made available to all, regardless of time, place, age
  and social economic background.

Introduction

• During the last 38 years, the university has achieved different
  milestones and now an active member of 17 member mega
  university club.

• The biggest university in the country with course enrolment of
  more than 1,121038, with around 1000 courses being offered.

• The university serves the nation with 36 regional campuses
  and centers in various parts of the country to coordinate and
  facilitate decentralized system of education of the university

AIOU Libraries at a glance
• Central Library located at main campus, Islamabad

• 26 Regional & Coordinating Campuses libraries all over
  Pakistan

• 06 libraries headed by professional staff

• 14 libraries have Para professional staff

• 06 non-professional staff

Literature review as a support
• Kaul (2001) Examined the use of information resource
  sharing networking in area of environmental studies in
  developing countries. He also discussed the concept and
  rationale of information and resource sharing in the modern
  society and identifies linkages between the information and
  communication technology, information resource sharing.

  Described networking in environmental studies in India and
  presented a model of building up of Information Sharing
  System

Literature review as a support

• Ameen (2008) Explored the barriers to collection sharing
  among the university libraries situated in the major cities of
  Pakistan. Her study revealed that various technical, procedural,
  psychological, and behavioral barriers in achieving planned
  and meaningful collection-sharing programs prevail. She gave
  valuable suggestions about possibilities and opportunities of
  Collection Sharing in the emerging paradigm.

Literature review as a support

• Kar and others (1999) Presented in their study some models of
  resource sharing and briefly highlights of some of the major
  library networks in India. Like DELNET, CALIBNET,
  MALIBNET, MYLIBNET, BONET, PUNENET, ADINET,
  INFLIBNET. They discussed the objectives, services,
  functions, future prospects and stages of completeness of these
  library resource sharing networks.

  They also briefly mentioned the obstacles to the development
  of these networks.

Literature review as a support
• Vagiswari (1998) gave a brief description of the proposed
  networking of astronomy libraries in India. These three models
  are identified to be introduced successively.

• Ali and others (2010) discussed in an article on “Resource
  Sharing among Law Libraries: An Imperative for Legal
  Research and the Administration of Justice in Nigeria” need of
  resource sharing and concluded that the ultimate in resource
  sharing is when the individual user in a specific library, sitting
  behind a workstation goes through options which give him
  access to contents of collections of several libraries, which he
  can retrieve the electronic versions of the full texts and
  download or print.

Literature review conclusion

This literature review reveals that most of studies proposed and
discussed resource sharing models at the follows levels:

•Within the Organization
•Among in the sister organizations
•Metropolitan
•National
•Regional
•International

Proposed Model for AIOU libraries

  Karachi                                 Lahore
                   Central Library
                     Web Portal

               ILS Koha
               Social networking tools
  Quetta       Reference services        Multan
               AIOU digital collection

  Mirpur,                                 Peshawar
   AJK

Activities at Central Library
• Collection Development
• Technical Processing of Material
• ILS(KOHA) Full Administration
• Digitization of AIOU Publications
• Policies Formulation in respect to library and
  ILL etc.
• Services Design
• Interactive Reference Services to users and staff
• Administration of Web Portal

Activities at Regional Libraries

•   Limited Acquisition rights
•   Technical processing of locally acquired material
•   Implementation of Policies for AIOU Libraries
•   Implementation of ILS
•   Delivery of services using portal and digital resources
•   Interactive Reference Services to users

Suggestions
• Administrative control of all regional libraries may transferred to
  Central Library.

• Inter Library Codes may be formulated and approved.

• Social Media Tools may by implemented.

• Web Portal may be designed that support proposed model.

• Regional libraries may be strengthen with professional and skilled
  human resources, financial resources as well physical resources and
  collection.

Suggestions

• Central Library may be assigned the task of capacity building
  of regional libraries staff.

• Directorates of IET and ICT and Center for Instructional
  Design may be integrated with Central Library to provide
  instruction design material and other services which are
  necessary for library portal.

Thanks